Money Detective
For everyday Australian households

Take control of your household money, without another complicated budgeting app.

Money Detective gives Australian households simple spreadsheets, bill and subscription trackers, and practical comparison tools.

Free · No bank login · Excel and Google Sheets

Payday Buffer Planner open on a laptop in a sunny Australian home, showing the Dashboard with the safe-to-spend amount
Money found.Money saved.
Free Calculator

How much is actually safe to spend before your next payday?

Add your balance, bills and essentials. Get your safe-to-spend number in about a minute.

Free Fortnightly Budget dashboard on a laptop
A useful place to begin
Try the Free Fortnightly Budget
Plan each pay, then see planned vs actual on one calm dashboard. No catch and no payment details. Just add your email.
Get my free budget →
Free bill-checking tools

Check a bill before you renew

Choose a free tool to compare the costs and details of plans or quotes you already have. No sign-up needed.

Keep finding ways to cut household costs

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Why Money Detective
Made forAustralian households
No surprisesClear, upfront pricing
See it firstPreview before you buy
Ready when you areInstant digital access
Real supportHelp from the creator
Alex B reviewing a household notebook beside a laptop at home
Money Detective

Built from real household habits, not perfect budgets.

Our story

Saving money should not feel like another full-time job.

Money Detective began after I realised how many household costs had been left on autopilot.

By using cashback and grocery rewards more intentionally, reviewing renewals and comparing bigger bills rather than simply accepting them, I found practical ways to make our household money go further.

The bigger surprise came from insurance. After years with the same provider, I compared new quotes for home and contents, car and health cover and found better-value options that reduced our household costs by around $350 a month.

Personal household result $350 per month

After comparing home and contents, car and health insurance.

A personal result only. Savings vary depending on your circumstances, location, cover, insurer, excesses, eligibility and the quotes available at the time.

Money Detective was created to make those practical checks easier for other Australian households, without guilt, jargon or hours of research.

Read our story →
My household approach

The simple approach I use

Three practical habits that keep household costs visible.

Spend with purposeShop intentionally

Use cashback and rewards only for purchases already planned.

Plan the timingMake rewards work harder

Time larger grocery shops around eligible bonus points, cashback rates or monthly discount offers.

Check before renewalReview the big bills

Re-quote insurance, utilities and subscriptions before renewal, not only when money feels tight.

Not sure where to start?

Which tool should I start with?

Pick the money frustration that sounds most like yours. We’ll point you to one tool.

Money Detective tools

Practical money tools that do the thinking with you

Built around real Australian pay cycles and household costs, not another blank budget grid. Preview every dashboard before you choose.

Spreadsheets For Excel & Sheets Real Dashboards, Not Just Tables Instant Access

Plan your pay

See what this pay needs to cover and where your money actually goes.

Fortnightly Budget Plus open on a laptop, showing the dashboard with money left each fortnight
Best upgrade from the free budget

Fortnightly Budget Plus

Plan each fortnight, then see how your real spending compared.

  • Works to your pay cycle, weekly, fortnightly or monthly
  • Set a budget for over 20 everyday categories
  • Budget vs Actual shows where you went over plan
  • Savings goals with a per-week amount to get there on time
  • Optional bank statement import with automatic sorting
$12.95 one-time price
See How It Works →
The 3-Minute Budget dashboard on a laptop, showing the headline for the month
Best for beginners

The 3-Minute Budget

The budget for people who hate budgeting. Three categories, one dashboard.

  • Bills, Spending, Savings, nothing more to decide
  • Paste a bank statement and it sorts itself
  • One dashboard headline for your last complete month
  • Works in Excel and Google Sheets
$6.95 introductory one-time price
See How It Works →

Track bills and subscriptions

Keep renewals, due dates and recurring costs in one place.

Household Bill Tracker dashboard
Best for bill renewals

Household Bill Tracker

Every bill, one place, with an auto-warning before anything renews or lapses.

  • Flags contracts ending soon, with the warning period you choose
  • Converts any billing frequency to a true monthly cost
  • Visual dashboard, spend by category, at a glance
  • Bank statement import built in
$9.95 introductory one-time price
See How It Works →
The Subscription and Cashback Tracker on a laptop, showing the four steps to get started
Best for subscription creep

Subscription & Cashback Tracker

See what you're really paying for, and what you're actually getting back.

  • Renewal dates roll forward and flag what renews soon
  • Auto-flags subscriptions you've marked as unused
  • Cashback log with a running total across every platform
  • Optional bank statement check for hidden subscriptions
$9.95 introductory one-time price
See How It Works →
Energy Plan Check on a laptop, comparing electricity plans using a household energy bill
Best for electricity, gas and solar bills

Energy Plan Check

Compare current plans without copying every rate.

  • Upload a bill to bring across your usage and current rates
  • Choose plans from current AER plan data
  • Compare estimated costs over the same billing period
  • Fees, eligibility notes and conditions flagged for you to check
$6.95 one-off, no subscription
See How It Works →

Debt, savings and shared money

Pay down debt, build savings or split costs with a partner.

Debt Payoff & Savings Planner dashboard
Best for debt payoff

Debt Payoff & Savings Planner

A real month-by-month payoff simulation, not a guess. Know your actual debt-free date.

  • Snowball or Avalanche method, your choice
  • Freed-up minimum payments automatically roll to the next debt
  • Total interest you'll pay, calculated exactly
  • Visual payoff curve, watch the balance drop to zero
$12.95 introductory one-time price
See How It Works →
Couples' Shared Money Planner dashboard
Best for couples

Couples' Shared Money Planner

Split bills fairly, and finally stop doing the maths on who owes who.

  • 50/50, proportional-to-income, or custom % splitting
  • Automatic settlement page, exact amount, exact direction
  • Works with different incomes, no awkward conversations
  • Visual dashboard, shared spend by category
$12.95 introductory one-time price
See How It Works →
All six Money Detective dashboards laid out together
Get all six tools for $39.95, save $35.75
The Complete Money Detective Toolkit
Payday Buffer · Bill Tracker · Subscription & Cashback · Debt Payoff · Couples' Planner · Fortnightly Budget Plus
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The Money Back Guide

Stop Leaving Money On The Table

50+ practical ways Australian households can keep more of the money they already earn, no coffee-cutting, no giving up the things you enjoy. Updated October 2026.

  • Cashback apps & loyalty stacking, done properly
  • Fuel-price timing tricks to avoid overpaying at the bowser
  • Government rebates most people never claim
  • Energy plan switching, explained in plain English
  • 11 chapters, all Australia-specific, October 2026 edition
Rebates, unclaimed money and tax offsets go unclaimed every year. The guide shows you exactly where to look, and how to check what applies to you.
$6.95
one-time payment
Learn more
Instant download   Read on any device   Secure checkout
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Australian Money Back Guide ebook
50+money-saving
strategies
Get paid to shop

Cashback & Rewards Platforms

Free browser add-ons and apps that help you get more out of the money you're already spending, sign up once, then click through before you shop to make sure it counts.

Sign up through the links below to receive a sign-up bonus. Bonus amounts and conditions apply, so check the details when you join.

Free To Join Sign-Up Bonus Stacks With Sales Takes 2 Minutes

ShopBack Live

Cashback at hundreds of Australian retailers, plus regular bonus-rate deals.

Sign Up →

TopCashback Live

Another major Australian cashback platform, worth comparing rates on big purchases.

Sign Up →

Finder Shopping Live

Cashback at partner retailers, online and in store, with an app and browser extension.

Sign Up →

Coupert Live

Auto-applies coupon codes and stacks cashback on top at checkout.

Sign Up →

Honey Live

Browser extension that finds and applies the best coupon code automatically.

Sign Up →

Capital One Shopping

Price comparison and cashback browser extension, plus deal alerts.

Learn More →

1
Sign up with the link below
2
Shop as normal, cashback tracks automatically
Sign Up
It's totally free to join
We may receive a small cashback of our own when you sign up through our link or code, it helps keep Money Detective's tools free for everyone.
The Money Detective newsletter

Money tips worth opening.

Practical, plain-English ways to spend less on bills and feel more in control, plus a first look at new tools. From one Aussie household to another.

By subscribing, you agree to receive the Money Detective newsletter by email. No spam. Unsubscribe any time. See our Privacy Policy.